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BUCHAREST: Romania on Sunday strongly condemned the entry of a Russian drone into its airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine, with the foreign ministry summoning Moscow’s ambassador over the incident.
The incursion comes days after fellow NATO member Poland said it had shot down Russian drones which had violated its airspace as Moscow launched a barrage against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of “testing” Romania and wanting to “bring the war” to Poland and the Baltic with the intrusions.
Earlier on Sunday, NATO member Romania had said that Moscow’s actions pose a “new challenge” to Black Sea security.
Foreign Minister Oana Toiu also announced that Russia’s ambassador to Bucharest, Vladimir Lipaev, would be summoned over Saturday’s drone incident to the ministry.
After the meeting on Sunday evening, the ministry said in a statement that Romania had “conveyed its strong protest against this unacceptable and irresponsible act, which constitutes a violation of (its) sovereignty.”
“Such recurring incidents contribute to the escalation and amplification of threats to regional security,” said the statement, adding that Moscow was “urgently requested... to prevent any future violations.”
Poland had already denounced the intrusion of Russian drones into its airspace, calling on Moscow to avoid further “provocations.” Polish fighter jets scrambled Saturday in response to fresh Russian drone strikes just over the border in Ukraine.
Romania has had several drone fragments crash on its territory since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, especially as Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports.
In a statement, Romania’s defense ministry said it “strongly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasizes that they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area.”
It added that “such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s lack of respect for international law.”
In his evening address on Sunday, Zelensky repeated his argument that Russia was seeking to expand its invasion of his country.
“Everyone can see that the Russians are exploring how to bring the war to Poland and the Baltic states. The Russian army is also testing Romania,” the Ukrainian leader said.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the Russian action a “reckless” threat to security.
“The violation of Romanian airspace by Russian drones is yet another unacceptable breach of an EU member state’s sovereignty,” Kallas wrote on X.
“This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security. We stand in solidarity with Romania. I am in close contact with the Romanian government.”
Russia has not yet commented since Romania reported late Saturday that its airspace had been breached by a drone during a Russian attack in neighboring Ukraine, but has denied targeting Poland.
Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets, which “detected a drone in national airspace” and tracked it until it dropped off the radar, the defense ministry said.
In its statement Sunday, the ministry said that a “Geran drone used by” Russia had entered Romanian airspace.
It added that the drone “orbited for about 50 minutes, from northeast of (the village of) Chilia Veche to southwest of Izmail, and left national airspace near the town of Pardina, heading toward Ukraine.”
Romania’s fighter jets were “supported by German allies... with two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft,” which monitored the situation.
The drone did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an imminent threat to the safety of the population, said the statement.
Toiu said on X that she will “raise Russia’s actions at (the) UN General Assembly, urging a strict international adherence to sanctions.”
In February, the Romanian parliament adopted a law allowing the country to shoot down drones breaching its airspace.

LONDON: One of the UK’s most prestigious defense academies has banned Israelis from enrolling in its program due to Tel Aviv’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, which some EU officials have recently described as genocidal acts.

Starting next year, the Royal College of Defence Studies will not be accepting students from Israel, the UK government confirmed on Sunday.

The college has promoted understanding among military officers, diplomats, civil servants, and officials for almost a century. Each year, about 110 members from the UK and abroad join its program. Notable alumni include Field Marshall Alan Francis Brooke and former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

According to The Telegraph, the college’s postgraduate course in international strategic studies focuses on “political, diplomatic, security, social and economic issues at the grand strategic level — the level at which governments take decisions on these issues both nationally and within the international community.”

However, its main course is “practical rather than theoretical.”

The exclusion of Israelis from the college is the first since its establishment in 1927, and it comes as the latest punitive measure against Israel taken by the UK government over its massacres in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said that British military educational courses are open to personnel from various countries, emphasizing adherence to international humanitarian law.

He added: “However, the Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong.

“There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

The UK government banned Israeli officials from attending the UK’s largest arms exhibition last week.

It also pledged to recognize Palestinian statehood in the UN General Assembly later this month, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza and commits to not annexing the West Bank.

In August, Israeli forces launched a new military campaign to occupy Gaza City and its surrounding areas, where approximately 1 million Palestinians live and seek shelter. Forces launched dozens of airstrikes targeting high-rise buildings in the city, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people, and the displacement of nearly 250,000 others.

On Friday, 142 countries at the UN General Assembly voted for a resolution supporting “tangible, time-bound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution. On Sept. 23, the annual general debate at the assembly will begin, with French President Emmanuel Macron expected to recognize the state of Palestine.